Draft attachment for vehicles.



PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1903.

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No. 731,3:51. Patented June 16, 1902.

UNITE Tarps ATENT Fries.

CHARLES E. AKERS AND FRED WVILSON, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT IFOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,331, dated June 16, 1903. Application filed April 8, 1903.: Serial No. 151,673. N model- To aZZ whom it may concern: 6 in bearing-plates 6 are smaller than the -Beitknownthatwe,OHARLESE. AKERsand width of slots and they correspond with FRED WILSON, of the city of Decatur, in the the diameter of the bolts.

county of Macon and State of Illinois, have In securing the spring to the doubletree invented certain new and useful Improve- ,holes are made through the doubletree of ments in Draft Attachments for Vehicles, of proper size and in proper positions to receive which the following is a specification. bolts 7. The bearing-plates and the spring This invention relates to doubletrees pro are placed against the doubletree. The bolts vided with bow-shaped springs which act as are inserted through the slots of the spring,

ID buffers and relieve the team from sudden vathe holes of the bearing-plates, and the holes riations in stress attendant on striking abin the doubletree. The washers 9are put in rupt obstructions. place, and the nuts 10 are tightened against The object of the invention is to provide the washers. When the spring is properly improved andsimplified means for attaching secured to the doubletree, the plates 6 form r5 the spring to the doubletrees. cheap and simple bearing-surfaces against The invention is exemplified in the strucwhich the ends of the spring may slide. The ture hereinafter described, and it is defined square enlargements form guides on which.

in the appended claims. the ends of the spring may move freely with- In the drawings forming a part of this speciout binding. The enlarged heads 7 hold the 20 fication, Figure 1 is a plan of a doubletree springs from moving off the guides, and the.

provided with a buffer-spring secured in place nuts and washers secure everything in place. in accordance with our idea. Fig. 2 is an en- The bearings for the ends of the spring permit larged fragment of a doubletree and bufferthe spring to move toward and from the douspring, parts of the spring and the doublebletree without cramping the thin ends of the 25 tree being broken away to show the means spring and developing therein a movement used to connect the spring to the doubletree. that must ultimately result in breakage. The Fig. 3 is a face or fiatwise view of an end of bearing-plate is held in place by the single the spring. Fig. 4 is a face view of a bearbolt, for the reason that the hole is central 8o ing-plate against which an end of the spring and the plate circular. No matter how much 0 slides while the spring is in action. Fig. 5is the plate may turn it will still retain its a detail of the head end of the securing-bolt. proper operative position. Thebearing-plate A fragment of a tongue is shown at 1 in performs the double function of providing a Fig.1, a hammer-strap at 2, and a hammerslide-bearing for the spring and aiding the bolt at 3. Thedoubletree is shown at 4., and nut and washer in clamping the bolt to the 3 5 the buffer-spring is shown at 5. The spring doubletree. The enlargement of the bolt has a loop-strap 8 at-its center, which forms provides a bearing for the spring-slot and rea bearing to encircle the hammer-bolt, and tains the bearing-plate in place against the the ends of the spring have slots 5 Beardoubletree. It also by its length holds the ing-plates 6 have central holes 6*, as shown head from contact with the spring, and when 40 in Fig. 4. They are preferably circular, and it is square in cross-section the spring-slot they fit against the front surface of the doubleforms a wrench to hold the bolt against turntree between the doubletree and the ends of ing while the nut is tightened. the spring. Bolts 7 have enlarged heads 7, We claim--- 5 andibetween the heads and the bodies of the 1. The combination of a doubletree, a how- 5 bolts are formed enlargements 7", which are shaped buffer-spring having its ends slotted preferably square in cross section. The longitudinally, a bolt having a short enlargethreaded ends of the bolts are provided with ment between its head and its body, said enwashers 9 and nuts 10. '1he en l a rgements largement being slightly longer than the rec '7 of the bolts correspond in diameter'with---thiclgpess of the ends of the spring and cor- 50 the width of slots 5 in the ends of the spring, responding in diameter with the width of the and they are slightly longer than the thickslots of the spring and a bearing-plate having ness of the ends of the spring. The holes a hole large enough to receive the bolt and smaller than the enlargement of the bolt; the bolt secured to the doubletree with the bearing-plate held against the donbletree by the enlargement of the bolt and the enlargement engaging a slot of the spring.

2. The combination of a doubletree, a bow-v shaped buffer-spring having its ends slotted longitudinally, a bolt having a short enlargement between its head and its body, said enlargement being slightly longer than the thickness of the ends of the spring and corresponding in diameter with the width of the slots of the spring and a circular bearingplate having a central hole large enough to receive the bolt and smaller than the enlargement of the bolt; the bolt secured to the doubletree with the bearing-plate held against the cloubletree by the enlargement of the bolt and the enlargement engaging a slot of the spring.

In testimony whereof we sign our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. AKERS. FRED WILSON.

Witnesses:

A. G. WILSON, Gno. L. WEAVER. 

